Chapter 597: Chapter 76: Shifting Situation, the Gu Clan’s Predicament
Gu Yi was too lazy to bother with the causes and effects.
Let it be.
This is the calm he learned from the generations of the Gu Clan.
Moreover, the current situation is not too bad. Although the Gu Clan has been significantly weakened, its foundation remains, which is in stark contrast to the end of the Yan Han.
This is already an opportunity for him!
Taking a deep breath amidst countless thoughts, Gu Yi also turned his gaze towards the city of Luoyang.
...
Luoyang, Champion Marquis Mansion.
"Father!"
Gu Xuan, the twenty-first generation descendant of the Gu Clan, hurriedly entered from the outer courtyard.
Upon reaching the study door, he adjusted his attire slightly before pushing it open and entering.
Inside the study, sandalwood incense filled the air, and several elders were seated for discussion. Gu Xuan dared not be negligent and hurried forward, bending deeply to the father seated in the main position, and then turned to respectfully greet the uncles present:
"Greetings, Father, and greetings to my uncles."
Seeing the courteous Gu Xuan before them, smiles appeared on the faces of the elders.
Indeed, he is the most outstanding descendant of the current Gu Clan.
Even Gu Yi had taken notice of him.
Perhaps it was precisely because Gu Yi chose not to intervene that now the wheel of history is blending with the original history, ultimately allowing the talent of the Gu Clan descendants to recover.
Such as the attributes of Gu Xuan.
[Internal Affairs: 80; Diplomacy: 70; Politics: 72; Leadership: 67; Martial Force: 59]
An internal affairs attribute as high as eighty is already quite impressive.
If aided by the Luoshu Harmonizing Device, Gu Xuan’s internal affairs capacity could even rival that of Gu Kang in the past.
And other descendants are similar in nature.
Although overall not as comprehensive as Gu Xuan’s attributes, there is a noticeable improvement compared to the second era’s descendants.
"What is the urgency?" Gu Hao, the current Patriarch, looked at his dusty son from the main seat and asked calmly.
He, too, is now full of gray hair.
Although Gu Hao is not yet very old, he has devoted too much effort to the entire family over the years, and his lack of capability meant he had to be more mindful.
After so many years, his health was now much weaker compared to others of the same age.
It could even be said that his time was running short.
"Father, uncles," Gu Xuan spoke earnestly, bowing his head solemnly: "Urgent news from Julu: An Lushan personally visited our Gu Clan Ancestral Shrine the day before yesterday with great reverence."
With these words, the sandalwood in the study ceased to waft, and those present turned solemn.
An Lushan—
The man held the military governorship of Fan Yang, Pinglu, and Hedong, held other important positions like Hebei Inspection Envoy, enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, wielded power unmatched, and his influence had reached its peak.
It mirrored the power of the military governors in the original history.
The land enclosure leading to the collapse of the Government Military System, coupled with border threats and various other reasons, resulted in the emergence of the military governor system.
Viewing the system from a hindsight perspective, it indeed seems extremely foolish.
Placing military, civil, and financial power in the hands of one person was, from any standpoint, a path to disaster!
This is the difference in thought processes.
At least for the current Great Tang, the emergence of the military governor system indeed stabilized the borders of the Great Tang to some degree.
But again, every system is bound to have its drawbacks.
The current Great Tang is such a case.
Li Longji established the military governor system with the intention of stabilizing the borders, but with An Lushan holding three military governorships, the situation had completely changed.
Simply put, the balance of power was broken.
Now, An Lushan’s strength on paper even surpasses that of the central court!
This is the crucial matter.
The atmosphere of the study shifted dramatically, with everyone understanding what this meant; An Lushan was evidently cultivating reputation.
Gu Hao remained silent for a long time before heaving a deep sigh: "Today, I went to see the Emperor again."
"But...."
He paused briefly, a hint of sorrow crossing his face: "The Emperor still did not see me, but had someone send me away."
Following these words, a chorus of sighs instantly arose.
Even Gu Xuan couldn’t help but shake his head.
Gu Hao had gone to see Li Longji many times, naturally with the intention of warning him, as there were already many in court who had questioned An Lushan’s loyalty.
But alas, perhaps due to An Lushan’s excellent acting, in Li Longji’s eyes, An Lushan was nothing short of a "loyal dog."
He even publicly declared, "Though Lushan is a Hu, the Hu too are subjects of my Great Tang, and his heart is sincere, I see him as a son."
Adding to this was former Chancellor Li Linfu, who continually mediated on An Lushan’s behalf in court.
Naturally, he shielded An Lushan from countless storms and rains.
Only after Li Linfu’s death did the voices from the court reach Li Longji’s ears.
And what he did—
Was merely sending the eunuch Fu Suli to investigate, yet Fu Suli accepted An Lushan’s bribery, blocking all his actions.
Gu Hao did not refrain from pleading.
Not to mention the influence of the Gu Clan in Hebei, such matters should logically be handled by the Imperial Censorate.
But unfortunately, Li Longji acted wilfully.
The human heart is such: accustomed to flattery, loyal words sound harsh and become piercing nails, stabbing thorns.
He indeed harbored feelings for the Gu Clan.
But the deepest of these feelings stemmed from Gu Jing, who had passed away decades ago.
The human heart is ever-changing.
Facing Gu Hao’s repeated pleas, he was long annoyed, naturally unwilling to entrust such matters to Gu Hao.
In fact, if Gu Hao had chosen to protect himself at that time,
Li Longji might not have reached the point of not even wanting to see him now, but unfortunately, Gu Hao is a child of the Gu Clan, he cannot lose the clan’s honor.
Under such repeated pleas, things have now developed to this point.
This is no longer about emotions.
Li Longji’s actions have already turned to annoyance with the Gu Clan, otherwise it wouldn’t have reached this point where he doesn’t even want to meet anymore.
"What is the attitude of the officials in the court?"
Gu Xuan pondered for a moment and asked the question again.
But the response was still shaking heads and sighs.
Currently, there are indeed several ministers opposing An Lushan, especially Chancellor Yang Guozhong.
But fundamentally,
It is not because his intentions are so altruistic.
On the contrary, Yang Guozhong initially wanted to secretly control An Lushan like Li Linfu, by outwardly competing but controlling him from behind the scenes, but An Lushan did not regard him at all.
This is the conflict between them.
And this conflict has intensified over time, now even reaching an incompatible state.
Yang Guozhong constantly mentions in the court An Lushan’s possible rebellion.
But unfortunately, Li Longji does not believe it.
In his eyes, this is simply discord between officials, which for a ruler indulged in pleasures is not a bad thing but rather a good thing.
He believes he can control everything well.
This attitude forces many to conform to him.
To summarize, the root of the issue lies with Li Longji, the Emperor.
But because of this, reversing everything is equally challenging.
Before experiencing disaster, persuading someone like Li Longji might really only be achieved by bringing Gu Jing back to life!
But how is that possible?
The room was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
In this heavy silence, Gu Hao suddenly raised his head, eyes like lightning, shooting towards Gu Xuan: "Xuan’er!"
"Dispatch a fast horse, send a secret message back to Julu!"
His voice was firm and undeniable: "Be prepared for any unforeseen events!"
"Additionally—"
Gu Hao slowly stood up; his aged body seemed upright like a pine at this moment, scanning the faces of each Gu clan member present:
"Utilize all forces of the Imperial Censorate right now, contact the clan’s secret lines, and keep a close watch on An Lushan’s every move!"
"All troop movements, money and grain transfers, comings and goings of officials....."
"Report every detail without exception!"
His voice paused slightly, and his originally deep eyes suddenly flashed with intimidating coldness: "If there’s truly a change... even if crushed to powder, we must block this disaster!"
Every word was resolute, sharp, and compelling!
This is the child of the Gu Clan!
Although their talents may not be supreme, having suffered setbacks over the years, it hasn’t diminished their deep-seated pride and sense of responsibility.
Those present immediately stood up and saluted, then left one after another.
Gu Yi had been silently observing everything, his gaze fixed on the departing Gu Xuan, after a moment of contemplation he quietly spoke to himself.
The next instant, the game hint suddenly flashed before his eyes.
.....
(Ps: Begging for votes, pleading for brothers’ support, Yu deeply appreciates it.)
